In recent times, online computer gaming involving the playing of interactive computer games, including online computer games played over wide area computer networks such as the Internet, has become extremely popular. It is believed that more than a billion individuals worldwide have played such interactive online computer games at some point. In the United States alone, it is estimated that well over a hundred million people have been involved in computer gaming, including the playing of online interactive computer games. Such computer gaming, including but not limited to, the playing of interactive online computer games over the Internet, takes many different forms, spanning from a simple computer game in which an individual player (also referred to herein as a “gamer”) plays a single-player computer game on the player's cell phone, to massively multiplayer online games (“MMOG”) in which a large number of gainers located in a plurality of geographical locations may access and play an online interactive computer game at the same time over a wide area network, such as the Internet, and may interact with each other in the virtual world of the computer game through the movements and actions of their own player characters (also referred to as “avatars”) that exist within the virtual world of the computer game.
For millions of people throughout the world, computer gaming is a routine manner of diversion involving daily or weekly game play. Most of the individuals who play online computer games (referred to interchangeably herein as “garners” or “players”) are initially required by the software of the online computer games to create game play accounts (also called “game accounts”) prior to initially accessing and playing the online computer game, and these game play accounts are also used to gain access to, and play, the online computer game in subsequent game sessions. Many online computer games requiring the creation of a game play account prior to accessing and playing the online computer games also require payment of real world financial consideration on a subscription basis in order to maintain the game play accounts in good standing so that the garners can continue to access and play the online computer game through the game play accounts. In other words, recurring payments of real world funds are typically required in exchange for a player's continuing ability to access and play the online computer game over time using his or her game play account. These subscription payments are typically, though not universally, paid on a monthly basis by cash, credit, or debit transactions, with such real-world financial consideration being paid by a gamer in exchange for the continued ability to access and play the online computer game.
In other instances, access and the ability to play online computer games is free or is available after payment of a small initial purchase fee, but certain virtual items known as “in-game items” that are created by operation or function of the game software and that exist only within the virtual world of the computer game, for example special powers, abilities, attributes, characteristics, weapons, shields, skins, spells, magic potions, mounts, coins, currency, gems, treasure, food, seeds, animals, houses, building materials, machines, or articles of clothing, can be acquired and used by a player's in-game player character (the terms “player character” and avatar” are used interchangeably herein) within the virtual world of the computer game in exchange for the payment of real-world funds. Again, such payments of real-world financial consideration may be handled through cash, credit, or debit transactions, with such payments being required for the garners' avatars' acquisition and ability to use the in-game items in the virtual world of the computer game. In other words, in this type of online game, a player will be presented with opportunities for his or her player character to acquire and use an in-game item in the virtual world of the online computer game, but in order for the player character to obtain the in-game item in the virtual world of the computer game, the player will be required to pay some amount of real world funds for the acquisition of that in-game item.
Playing computer games, including online interactive computer games, offers many positive personal, social, and health benefits such as entertainment, relaxation, stress-relief, education, socialization, development of hand-eye coordination, and in certain instances, physical exercise. Many gamers are healthy, well-adjusted individuals who enjoy taking on various fantasy roles within the virtual world of a computer game through one or more player characters/avatars that exist in the virtual world of the computer game, each of which player characters/avatars can be thought of as a virtual representation of the gamer. In some instances, a gamer's avatar can be customized or personalized by the gamer with certain characteristics, abilities, strengths, personal attributes, clothing, skins, or physical appearances that are chosen by the gamer in order to personalize or customize the gamer's avatar. In other computer games, a player's player character is not customizable, but nevertheless can still be thought of as an in-game representation of the player within the virtual world of the online computer game. Many garners participate in online communities composed of multiple other garners, some or all of whom are able to interact with each other through the virtual interactions of their in-game avatars that occur during game play within the virtual world of an online computer game. Game play often involves the interaction of various players' avatars with each other and with the virtual elements and features of the virtual world of the computer game. Game play also often involves completion of various virtual activities and in-game challenges that are virtual tasks, quests, missions, or other similar in-game challenges to be completed by the gamer's avatar in the virtual world of the game such as overcoming obstacles, winning virtual combat with in-game opponents or other players' avatars, destroying an opponent or target in a first-person shooter game, solving puzzles or riddles, finding hidden in-game items that unlock gates or provide access to previously barred or hidden areas, completing certain requirements for leveling-up to other levels or other playscapes within the virtual world of the game, collecting certain in-game items, raising crops or livestock, building houses, castles, walls or other structures, mating, eating food and drink, purchasing in-game items, mining for precious materials, and many other virtual tasks, quests and activities that may be completed by the gamer's avatar in the virtual world of the game. Thus, playing online interactive computer games can be an activity that provides garners with excitement, mental stimulation, entertainment, and can also lead to social interaction between and among garners and their friends through the interaction of multiple garners' avatars in the virtual environment of the online computer game.
Subscriptions involving real world financial consideration being paid on a monthly or other periodic basis by a gamer for the ability to access and play online computer games, as well as initial purchase fees or sporadic one-time payments paid in exchange for a gamer's avatar acquiring and using in-game items in the virtual world of the computer game, all provide well-deserved compensation to the developers or purveyors of computer games (sometimes referred to herein as “software companies”) whose software engineers, artists, and business people have spent many long hours creating rather amazing and fantastic computer games for the use and enjoyment of players throughout the world. However, one of the unfortunate aspects of the payments of periodic subscriptions, initial purchase fees, and sporadic one-time payments for in-game items, is that none of these payments of real-world funds by garners has any direct, lasting financial benefit for the gamers. While such subscription payments, initial purchase fees, and purchases of in-game items do provide an indirect benefit to players in the sense that such payments of real world funds do provide the incentive for software companies to continue to develop newer and better online computer games that gamers enjoy playing, the current direct benefits to players are limited to those that are listed above; and such current direct benefits, while important, are somewhat temporary and ephemeral in nature.
It is desirable to couple online game play by garners with more lasting and permanent benefits to the garners themselves. This will make online game play more desirable and will be mutually beneficial to the garners and the software companies. It is in this context that the embodiments discussed herein arise.